If your one of the many people interested in starting an online business or in making money online chances are you've run in to your fair share of scams. But before I get in to how to spot them I should explain what I mean by ?scam?. I view a scam as any site that says you will make a set amount of money when in reality you either won't and the site will take your money and run, or you can make money at it, but only with the right skills and knowledge, which you will almost definitely not have. So, how do you tell the legitimate sites from the bogus ones?



The usually rule of thumb is that any site that sounds too good to be true probably is. For instance, watch out for those sites that assure you that you can get rich by the end of the month, quit your job, and move to the Bahamas. I can assure you that any site telling you this is lying, pure and simple. Another thing to really watch out for is a site that promises a great deal, but doesn't actually mention much about how it works or what product it is that they are selling you. Sites like this will enchant you with stories of how they made millions with this simple secret and how all their friends used it to make millions too. At the same time these sites won't tell you anything, or next to nothing, about how it actually works. The rule here is that you should never have to pay for your dreams, those are free, only pay for products and then only if they work. So, How do you know if the moneymaking product is legitimate?

Whether you've been to college or not you probably have some experience with research, now is an excellent time to use it. Simply type in the company name, I can guaranty you some one out their with a blog or some experience has probably tried it already and either supports it completely, or will write a scathing review, either way you have your answer. There are also plenty of places to get free professional advice on the subject at a myriad number of forums filled with professionals and it shouldn't be difficult to track down a good one who can tell you if your wasting your time or not. Just put the name of the type of business the site is advertising into a search engine with terms like ?professional tips? or ?forum? and you should do fine.

Lastly I want to go over a couple of notorious ways to lose your money online. One, if you do find a good site, stick to it. I've personally bailed out way to early too many times and I can assure you, you will always take a loss if you don't keep at it. Second, paid surveys and freebie sites are almost never worth the effort, most paid survey sites are Latin for try out trial offers and we'll rip you off, then charge you with fraud. Third, watch out for sites that ask for a lot up front without giving you much in return, free offers and no risk offers are much more reliable, but make sure they are really no-risk! Some sites will say that they are no-risk and will then clock you with a dozen hidden charges, so read the terms and conditions before you even enter your credit card number. If they don't have a terms and conditions page, run! There's a lot more to cover on catching these ?scam? sites so there's a good chance I'll be writing more in the future.